Exton

The violin solo from Danse Macabre sounds and I'm awake before it ends.

"Mortuis."

"Magnus, it's Rowan. I need help. Nick is sick, something I've never seen before. He's dead - can he even get sick?"

"What are the symptoms?"

"He's hot to the touch, his skin is flushed and there are convulsions. He's fully vamped-out, not changing back to human seeming at all. He seems partly aware, but I wouldn't want to bet that he recognizes people, and the awareness seems to come and go very quickly. I'm quarantining him until further notice - no one not directly involved with the case will be allowed in to see him."

"Good. I'll be there shortly."


I bring the hearse to a stop and throw the keys to Monty. Raina meets me at the door, her face streaked with tears. "Magnus, you have to help him!"

"I will do what is possible, Lady Raina. Do you stand watch upon his room and let none enter without an invitation from Rowan or myself."

Giving her something to do seems to help. She wipes her eyes and nods, the mask of the Warrior stealing over her face.

Inside the room, Nekron is thrashing on the bed, eyes open wide, fists clenching and unclenching spasmodically. His skin is white, but with a rosy flush beneath. His mouth snaps open and closed, as if gasping for the breath that he no longer requires.

I don't have to touch him; I can feel the heat coming off him, as though he is being consumed by some internal fire. For a second his eyes clear and there is a glimmer of recognition; then it is gone, too fast to follow were I not watching for it.

I motion for Rowan to come outside. We walk half the length of the hall before I trust myself to speak.

"I do not believe this is illness. Had he fed last night?"

"There was a bottle by his bedside, about a third of it gone."

"Have it brought here, please. I suspect poison."

"What kind of poison affects the dead?"

"Something, I fear, with which I have no experience. Something exotic and deadly. I will analyze what remains in the bottle and learn what I may. In the meantime, insofar as it is possible without risking yourself or others, treat him as you would treat one with a high fever. If it is possible, I'd like to obtain a blood sample for comparison."

"Good luck getting one."

I smile grimly beneath the hood. "I have my methods."


It takes perhaps ten minutes to obtain the sample I require. Gnimaor merely wills his body to diamond hardness and anchors himself to the earth beneath the Tavern. The hypodermic slips easily into the median cubital vein and the gnome holds Nekron's arm immobile, all the strength of Earth at his disposal, calmly waiting until the glass tube is filled. He removes the needle for later disposal, then releases the vampire.

I eye the contents with concern. Though Nekron is hardly my boon companion, he has proven himself to be a good man, and the way the blood bubbles and froths in the blood evacuator tube bodes ill for his future. The tube is hot to the touch, hotter than normal. Rowan hisses at the feel of the glass.

"Goddess, Magnus, that's nearly boiling! What kind of poison can do that?"

"That, milady, is what I intend to learn. I will return to the Manse and begin my analysis. Call me if anything changes and should I learn aught, I shall call you directly."